When visiting Drake's family, we spent a lot of time at high school girls' basketball games. Our niece Jess, who is a sophomore,
made the Varsity team this year. We arrived the night of the team's
first game of the season, which they won by almost 50 points (the team
is ranked #5 in the state by the Associated Press). Due to one of the
seniors being injured, our niece started in the game and proceeded to
break a school record for the number of assists in a game. Talk
about making a first impression!
What both Drake and I found
striking about the games is the large number of guys that turned out as
a cheering section for the girls. I was in high school pre-Title IX and girls sports (aside from cheerleading and gymnastics) were basically invisible. Guys turning out each game to cheer for the girls? That would have been unimaginable.
I
asked Jess if she knew what Title IX was. To my surprise, she didn't.
This gave Drake and I the chance to talk about the "old days" when the
only high school sports that got any substantial moral and financial support were boys sports. She was truly surprised at the difference between then and now. I guess that's a measure of how far things have come.
It was great fun to see Jess play. She is a talented, hard-working athlete, and an excellent student, too.
GO LADY BOMBERS!
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